For the second time this year, a Disney movie won’t be released in China. Christopher Robin, a live-action/CGI family film that stars Ewan McGregor, has been denied release in China.
There was no reason given for the denial, but one source pinned the blame on China’s crackdown on images of the Winnie the Pooh character, which is one of the main roles in Christopher Robin. During the Summer of 2017, authorities in China began blocking pictures of Winnie the Pooh on social media given that the character has become a symbol of the resistance of China with the foes of the ruling Communist party, who’s leader is Xi Jinping.
Some bloggers have made comparisons between the beloved bear and Xi, which has led to Christopher Robin being denied release access.
John Oliver commented on the similarities back in June in his monologue.
Though the denied access, it most likely won’t hurt the movie much at the box office this weekend. Christopher Robin is expected to debut earning between $20 million and $30 million.
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